Object of Invention

The object of the invention is a filling nozzle which can be mounted on a CO ₂ type fire extinguisher for filling buoyancy bags disposed in a vessel and serving as a means for preventing the sinking thereof.

Technical Problem

The technical problem is how to configure such a nozzle for filling buoyancy bags arranged in a vessel that can be mounted on a CO ₂ type fire extinguisher and will allow filling a buoyancy bag(s) whose volume is substantially larger than the expanded CO ₂ volume within the fire extinguisher at ambient temperature, wherein the filling will be easy, fast and safe for the user and no external power sources and additional tools will be needed.

Prior Art

A vessel such as a boat or sailboat can get damaged both during navigation and in a stationary, anchored state. Damage to the hull and/or other parts of the vessel, which results in water intrusion into the vessel, is a huge problem. In the event that water intrusion into a vessel cannot be stopped, such a vessel is heavily submerged in water, making it difficult to haul ashore for repair. In the worst case, the damaged vessel can even sink. To haul such a vessel to a repair shop, it must first be lifted to the surface, which greatly increases the cost of the whole process. An additional problem arising in the event of sinking is the pollution of the aquatic ecosystem due to a high likelihood of fuel leakage and other environmentally hazardous liquids present on the vessel. The simplest way to reduce the likelihood of a vessel sinking due to damage is to fill unused empty spaces with a light, foamy material such as expanded polystyrene or air-curable polyurethane foam.

The use of buoyancy bags that may be inflated when needed is much more reliable. Buoyancy bags that can be filled with a gaseous medium fill the interior of the vessel and prevent the water from entering the vessel. Buoyancy bags come in different sizes and shapes to accommodate the space of the vessel and are either mounted inside the vessel or attached to the outer surfaces of the vessel and hold the vessel above sea level. In order for the buoyancy bags to function effectively, a sufficient amount of a gaseous medium must be provided to fill the buoyancy bags within a very short time. The filling of the buoyancy bags must be quick and efficient to prevent the water from entering the vessel as quickly as possible, thereby reducing damage to both the vessel and the environment.

A compressor that supplies compressed air to the bags may be used to fill the buoyancy bags. An additional compressor must be installed on board for this type of filling. In addition, additional quantities of fuel which may constitute an additional source of pollution must be provided on board for the operation of the compressor.

Solutions to filling buoyancy bags by means of diving cylinders and the compressed air stored therein are known. This type of filling is efficient, fast and can provide a sufficiently large amount of the gaseous medium, but requires such a cylinder to be installed on board. Since most users of vessels, especially privately owned vessels, are not divers, this type of cylinder is not a standard part of the vessel's equipment. In addition, the cylinders must be checked at certain intervals and, if necessary, filled with the gaseous medium, which requires a special filling device, a compressor. As a diving cylinder has basically a completely different purpose, it is not widely available and is an additional economic burden. To fill all buoyancy bags mounted on board, depending on the size and weight of the vessel, more than one such cylinder is usually required for filling. A diving cylinder is neither part of the mandatory equipment nor a common part of the equipment. As an additional piece/pieces, they also occupy the space on board that is generally always lacking.

Solution to the Technical Problem

The technical problem is solved by a nozzle which can be mounted on a CO ₂ type fire extinguisher for filling buoyancy bags, the nozzle comprising a substantially tubular external casing element circumferentially provided with openings for the inlet of ambient air into the interior and provided in its interior with a central channel of a variable diameter, and a valve element axially arranged in the interior of the casing element and formed as a stem with a flange, in which through holes are radially arranged. The central channel of the casing element comprises an inlet section for accommodating the valve element; a suction section for the supply of the ambient air through the openings; an underpressure section having a funnel-like diameter creating a reduced pressure zone; and an outlet section for accommodating a valve of a buoyancy bag. The total surface area of the through holes of the flange of the valve element and the openings of the casing element equals or exceeds the surface area of a ring, the inner diameter of which equals the diameter of the underpressure section and the outer diameter equals the diameter of the suction section.

The stem of the valve element comprises a central through hole having a variable diameter, in which a filter and an inner valve are arranged. The inner valve consists of a positioning screw, a stop ball and a prestressed spring.

At its end with the flange, the valve element has a recess provided on its inner periphery with a thread, by means of which the nozzle is mounted onto the valve of the fire extinguisher. At the end facing the connection valve of a buoyancy bag in the operating mode, the casing element is provided with an engagement element with an internally shaped cone for a form-locking connection with the connection valve of a buoyancy bag.

The nozzle of the invention allows for the rapid filling of buoyancy bags to prevent the vessel from sinking, wherein a CO ₂ fire extinguisher is used as a source of the filler and a source of energy, said fire extinguisher being part of the mandatory equipment on each vessel. This means that no extra accessory or equipment is required on board to fill the buoyancy bags that would occupy the precious space on board. The CO ₂ gas contained in the fire extinguisher, when passing through the nozzle or the underpressure section of the casing element of the nozzle, creates underpressure that causes the suction of ambient air into the nozzle at one end and pushing the air out of the nozzle at the end where a buoyancy bag is attached. The CO ₂ gas from the fire extinguisher acts essentially as a propellant of the ambient air. As a result, the amount of the gaseous medium available for filling the buoyancy bags is greatly increased, which means that large buoyancy bags can be filled using a relatively small fire extinguisher.

An additional advantage of the nozzle of the invention is that no extra fuel that might be environmentally controversial is needed for filling.

A further advantage of the nozzle of the invention is that the fire extinguisher, if used to fill a buoyancy bag, can easily be refilled as if it has been used for extinguishing a fire. In addition, fire extinguishers need to be subject to regular controls, which means that their operation is guaranteed at critical times and that the filling of a buoyancy bag is also guaranteed.

The nozzle of the invention will be described hereinbelow in more detail by way of an embodiment and drawings representing in Fig. 1 nozzle of the invention in longitudinal section

Fig. 2 valve element of the nozzle in longitudinal section

Fig. 3 casing element of the nozzle in longitudinal section

A nozzle 100 to be fitted to a CO ₂ fire extinguisher, more specifically to a fire extinguisher valve (not shown) and intended for filling a buoyancy bag (not shown and not the subject of the invention) arranged in/on a vessel to prevent it from sinking, comprises a substantially tubular outer casing element 2 and a valve element 1 axially arranged inside the casing element 2.

The valve element 1 is formed as a stem 3 with a flange 4 with radially arranged through holes 13. At its end with the flange 4, the valve element 1 has a recess 6 provided on its inner periphery with a thread 6.1 and is substantially a threaded quick coupler, by means of which the nozzle 100 is mounted onto the valve (not shown) of the fire extinguisher. To ensure tightness between the fire extinguisher and the valve element 1 of the nozzle 100, a seal 10 is installed in the recess 6. A thread 5 is arranged at the periphery of the flange 4, by means of which the valve element 1 is secured in the casing element 2. The stem 3 which is directed towards the interior of the nozzle 100 and thereby towards the interior of the casing element 2 comprises a central through hole 8 with a variable diameter, which hole is formed at the free end of the stem 3 as an outlet opening 8.1 for high-speed CO ₂ discharge. The opening 8.1 also provides the correct shape of the CO ₂ exhaust gas beam. In the through hole 8 of the stem 3 there is a filter 9 and an inner valve 7 consisting of a positioning screw 7.1, a stop ball 7.2 and a prestressed spring 7.3. The inner valve 7 ensures a steady discharge/flow of the CO ₂ gas from the fire extinguisher throughout the bag filling process, which is achieved by the prestressed spring 7.3 that pushes the ball 7.2 towards the opening in the positioning screw 7.1. The positioning screw 7.1 is pre-set to be tightly screwed onto the flange of the inner valve 7. To prevent potential clogging of the outlet opening 8.1 of the through hole 8, the filter 9 is arranged in front of the inner valve 7. The flange 4 is provided on its periphery with through holes 13 arranged over the radius, through which air enters the interior of the nozzle due to the underpressure generated by the passage of CO ₂ through the channel of the casing element 2 of the nozzle 100, which will be explained in more detail hereinbelow. Through holes 13 have any cross section. In the embodiment, the through holes 13 have a circular cross-section and are evenly distributed around the circumference. The through holes 13 may also be formed as circumferentially arranged radial large or small grooves.

The external casing element 2 is substantially tubular and provided at the end facing the fire extinguisher in the operating mode along part of the interior wall with an inner thread 15 to engage the external thread 5 of the flange 4 of the valve element 1, and at the end facing the connection valve of a buoyancy bag in the operating mode, the casing element is provided with an engagement element 16 with an internally shaped cone for a form-locking connection with the connection valve of a buoyancy bag (not shown and not subject of protection). The casing element 2 is provided in its interior with a central channel 14 of a variable diameter. The channel 14 has an inlet section 14.1 with an inner thread 15; a suction section 14.2 that allows the flow of the ambient air through openings 17 arranged around the circumference of the casing section 2; an underpressure section 14.3 having a funnel-shaped cross-section which creates a reduced pressure zone and acts as a nozzle; and an outlet section 14.4 having a conically shaped orifice.

The valve element 1 is disposed and secured in the casing element 2 by means of a screw connection between the inner thread 15 of the casing element 2 and the outer thread 5 of the flange 4 of the valve element 1, such that the stem 4 of the valve element 1 extends into the channel 14, into the funnel-like section 14.3. The CO ₂ gas is discharged from the fire extinguisher through the valve element 1 at high speed. Due to the friction between the surface of the CO ₂ propellant gas beam and the air present within the nozzle, an underpressure zone is created at the point where the CO ₂ gas exits the valve element 1. This causes an accelerated entry of the ambient air through the through holes 13 of the valve element 1 and the openings 17 of the casing element 2. This also increases the amount of the discharging gaseous medium. The speed and the pressure of the gaseous medium at the outlet from the casing element 2 and thus from the nozzle 100 are reduced due to the increased inner diameter at the outlet in the section 14.4. The resistance to the flow of the media into the bag is herewith reduced. A buoyancy bag, which is attached to the nozzle 100 by means of a form-locking connection, is therefore filled with the gaseous medium in a very short time.

To ensure a sufficient quantity of the ambient air, the surface area of all suction openings, i. e. the through holes 13 of the valve element 1 and the openings 17 of the casing element 2, must be equal or exceed the surface area of the ring, the inner diameter of which equals the diameter of the underpressure section 14.3 and the outer diameter equals the diameter of the suction section 14.2.

The ambient air which rapidly flows through the openings 13 of the valve element 1, flows along the stem 4 of the valve element 1 and further into the underpressure section 14.3 of channel 14. As the temperature of the intake air is significantly higher than the temperature of the expanded CO ₂ gas, the intake air heats the stem 4 and prevents the formation of dry ice in the inner valve 7, which would otherwise form due to the low temperature of the expanded CO ₂ gas.

In the embodiment, the valve element 1 is made of brass. In any case, other metallic or non-metallic materials having mechanical properties that meet the high requirements of pressure and temperature loads may also be used to manufacture the valve element. The casing element 2 is usually made of a plastic material, which is optional.